Hydraulically operating sausage-filling-and turn-off machine

ABSTRACT

A hydraulically operating sausage-filling-and turn-off-machine, which comprises a rotating feeding pump adapted to feed filling material. A hydraulic motor with a settable feeding duration drives intermittently the feeding pump for portioning of the filling material. A rotation servo-valve controls the hydraulic motor. An electric control motor is provided, and a portioning drive is driven by the electric control motor and coupled with said rotation servo-valve, whereby the feeding duration of said feeding pump and the portioning size, respectively, is determined by a settable drive value.

[111 V 3,769,657 Nov. 6, 1973 Miiller [5 HYDRAULICALLY OPERATING 3,238,559 3/l966 Muller 17/35 x SAUSAGE-FILLING-AND TURN-OFF MACHINE FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Inventor: Johannes Miner, Biber-ach/RiSS 241,250 l/l969 U.S.S.R l7/37 Germany Primary Examiner-Lucie H. Laudenslager [73] Assigneez Flrma Albert Handtmann,

Metallgusswerk, Armaturen-Und Attorney Ernest Montague Fleischereimaschinenfabrik, Biberachlkiss, Germany [57] ABSTRACT [22] Filed: Jan. 21, 1971 A hydraulically operating sausage-filIing-and turn-off- PP N05 108,391 machine, which comprises a rotating feeding pump adapted to feed filling material. A hydraulic motor with [30] Foreign Application Priority Data if gr feecing t j f g zg iPJP i 'y ee mg pump or por IOI'llllg o e 1 mg ma erla. f 1970 Germany P 20 02 100's rotation servo-valve controls the hydraulic-motor. An electric control motor is provided, and a portioning drive is driven by the electric control motor and cow Fie'ld 17735 37 pled with said rotation servo-valve, whereby the feeding duration of said feeding pump and the portioning size, respectively, is determined by a settable driv [56] References Cited value UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1962 Rosenthaler 17/35 6 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTED WY 6 I975 SHEET 1 ur a lnrezfon Fig. I

PATENTEBNUY 51975 1 3769.657

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SH'EEI u CF 0 Inventor W WW HYDRAULICALLY OPERATING SAUSAGE-FILLING-AND TURN-OFF MACHINE The present invention relates to a hydraulically operating sausage-filling-and turn-off-machine, in which the feeding pump for the filling material is driven for portioning intermittently by a hydraulic motor with adjustable feeding duration.

Comparing the machines of the present invention with machines of this type as they became known, by example, by the German Pat. No. 1,088,694, in which the portioning takes place by a measuring piston, it offers a portioning system by means of a feeding pump with rotating displacer, first of all offers advantages during the production of large portions. Portions up to weights of a plurality of kilos can be produced thereby, without requiring an essential additional technical expenditure. Particularly advantageous is thereby, that here the time for the piston return stroke necessary during the piston portioning is completely eliminated.

With the proposals which became known until now, it has not been achieved, to solve satisfactorily the technical problems of the intermittent drive of the feeding pump. In particular in case of small portion weights, the portioning by means of measuring pistons was superior concerning the working speed and weight exactness over the other systems. The crank drive, conventionally employed in case of small portions for the drive of the measuring piston, imparts to the measuring piston an approximately sinus-shaped speedperformance and results thereby a shock-free and guided movement performance.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a hydraulically operating sausage-filling-and tum-offmachine, to create a system for the intermittent drive of the feeding pump with a rotating displacer, to join the advantages of both described portioning systems, so that the system of the present invention for the production of large and smaller portions is equally suitable and favorable.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a hydraulically operating sausage-filling-and turnoff-machine, wherein the feeding pump is driven by a hydraulic motor, such, that this hydraulic motor is controlled by a rotation servo-valve, which is coupled with a portioning drive preferably driven by an electric control motor, whereby the feeding duration of the feeding pump and the portion size, respectively is determined by a settable drive valve.

This type of control has the advantage, that, due to the extremely low inertia of the control elements, a very fast reaction of the drive results in response to the control orders, which has as a consequence an appreciable increase of the working speed and of the exactness of the portion weights, compared with previous designs.

Based on these advantageous characteristics the present invention moves still one step further and makes the proposal, to control also the hydraulic motor for the drive of the turn-off device by a servo-valve.

Thus in the machine, designed in accordance with the present invention, the control of all working functions takes place by servo valves, contrary to known devices. In such servo valve the return guide takes place mechanically and the nominal valve is fed to the servo valve with an electric control motor in connection with a mechanical drive.

The control edges in the servo valves can be designed easily such, that the hydraulic motor can be selectively accelerated and braked soft and shock-free. Also the control motors can be controlled electrically such, that nearly each desired movement characteristic is obtainable. By the far-reaching elimination of power transmitting drives and hydraulic control elements, the gen eral structure of the machine is decisively simplified.

The servo valve and the electricv control motor control the machine not only during the portioning process. Also during the normal filling without portioning these elements control the working speed of the feeding pump. By switching-on and switching-off of the control motor also the feeding pump is switched-on and I -off.

In accordance with the present invention, a predetermined path is limited in the portioning drive settable and mechanically, by example, by abutment, for securing the portion size, whereby the transmission between the drive and the servo valve remains constant. The setting of the path in the portioning drive can be performed manually or by means of a small electromotor.

Another possibility for the setting and securing of the portion size is obtained in accordance with the present invention such, that an infinitely variably settable transmission drive is provided between the portioning drive and the servo valve.

The small swinging masses and the low driving forces permit the stopping of the control motors and of the portioning drive by means of rigid abutments. By this arrangement a very exact following of the paths and consequently a high portioning exactness is obtained.

In accordance with the present invention, a reversing drive is provided between the drive of the portioning drive and the servo valve. This device is of particular importance, because by this arrangement the return of. the portioning drive in the original position upon termination of the portioning process.

It is also thinkable according to the present invention, to limit the path in the portioning drive for the securing of the portioning size without rigid abutments, by arranging, by example, at this point electric or electronic switching elements, which switch-on and -off the control motors. By use of an infinitely variably settable transmission drive in connection with an electric path limit, also the reversing drive can be omitted in the drive of the servo valve.

vIn all these solution proposals, is however, an additional braking, particularly of the control motor unavoidable for the portioning. In order to bring about the exact maintenance necessary for obtaining a high portioning exactness, particular measures are necessary, which constitute a higher structural expenditure relative to the path limit by means of mechanical abutments.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention, which is shown by example only, will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of the main parts of the machine, designed in accordance with the present invention with a hydraulic scheme;

FIG. 2 is a section of the servo valve with a portioning drive;

FIG. 2a is a fragmentary view, in section, of an intermediate gear;

FIG. 3 is a section along the lines A-B of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is an elevation, partly in section, of another embodiment of the portioning drive;

FIG. 5 is an elevation, partly in section, of a third em-.

bodiment of the portioning drive; and

FIG. 6 is an elevation, partly in section, of the portioning drive disclosed in FIG. 5, however, with a varied path limit.

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, the principle arrangement of the machine with the hydraulic scheme is disclosed, which machine comprises a funnel 1, a pump for example, a wing cell pump 2 with a pump shaft 3, a filling tube 4 and a turn-off device 5 with the drive shaft 6. The pump 2 is driven by means of the shaft 3 by a hydraulic motor 7 (not shown in detail) by meansof a reduction gear 8. The intermittent driving movements of the motor 7, and, thereby of the pump 2 are controlled by a servo-valve 9. The control position of the rotating control slide 10 of this valve, which is formed as a piston slide, is determined by means of the gears 11 and 12 by the control motor 13 in connection with the portioning drive 14.

The drive of the shaft 6 and of the turn-off device 5, respectively, takes place by the hydraulic motor 16. The latter is controlled by the servo-valve 17, the control slide 18 of which is operated by the control motor 19 over the gears 20 and 21 in combination with the drive 22.

The unit for the hydraulic pressure production comprises a hydraulic pump 24 and the drive motor 25, as well as the oil storage container. The pump 24 feeds the pressurized oil from the container 26 through the conduit 27 and the branch 28 to the servo valves 17 and 9, respectively. The returning oil is fed through the conduits 29 and 30, respectively, and a return filter 31 to the oil container.

The servo-valve 9 separately shown in FIG. 2 with the portioning drive 14 equals in structure and operation the servo-valve 17 with the drive 22 (FIG. 1), so that the following description can be applied for the intermittent drive of the pump 2 as well as for the likewise intermittent drive of the turn-off device 5. 7

Referring now again to FIG. 2, in the housing 32 of the servo-valve is, in addition to the piston slide 10 and 18, respectively, for the control of the hydraulic motor 7 and 16, respectively, also displaceably provided the pressure reduction valve 33 against the pressure spring 34. This spring is arranged such, that the slide 33 throttles the feeding of a pressure medium from the conduit 27 through the channel 35'to the hydraulic motor, if the pressure of the pressure medium arriving from the motor through the'channels 36 and 37 into the chamber 38 reaches a predetermined value.

A control slide 10 of the servo-valve has the task, to control the quantity of the operating oil flowing from the pressure chamber of the hydraulic motor through the channel 36 to the control chamber 39 such that its escape is freed and closed, respectively, through the channel 40 to the conduit 30 during a predetermined time period. Since the hydraulic motor runs only during the passage of a predetermined specific quantity of pressurized oil, by the described control means the intermittent drive of the feeding pump 2 is brought about.

In order to limit and render settable the running time of the feeding pump 2 determining the size of the portions to be produced, as already mentioned, a portionwith a threaded bushing 45, which threaded bushing 45 is rotatably mounted in a mounting frame 46 and is screwable with a threaded pin 47 of the control slide 10. The bearings 43 and 44 are arranged such, that they can drive the threaded bushing 45 always only in one direction of rotation, so that the control slide 10 is rotated independently from the direction of rotation of the control motor 13 always in the same direction of rotation and is axially displaced in the same direction, respectively.

The gear 12 of the control motor 13 is operatively connected with the portioning drive by means of a gear 50, on the shaft 51 of which sits a small gear 52, which is in engagement with a large gear 53. On the shaft 54 of the gear 53 sits, in addition, freely rotatable a gear 55, which is in mesh with a worm 56, which is driven by a setting motor 57 (FIG. 3). The worm shaft 58 is equipped with a gear 59, which drives a flexible shaft 61 by means of a gear 60, which shaft 61 leads to a counter, which is gauged such, that the produced portion weight is readable as a function of the position of the abutment cam 66 in the worm gear 55.

In the mounting frame 46 is disposed an abutment 64, which cooperates with a counter cam 65 on the periphery of the gear 53. A further cam 66 is provided on the gear 55, which cooperates with the cam 67 by the gear 53.

In the below described operation of the arrangement, in accordance with FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, at first the continuous portioning and turning off is to be covered.

At first from a switching position (not shown) the portion size and the portion weight, respectively, is set forth such, that by corresponding selective switches, the cam 66 is brought into such'position, by means of the setting motor 57 and the intermediate glass 55 and 56, that the cams 65 and 67 can run through on the gear 53 in both directions of rotation between the abutment cams 64 and 66, which corresponds with a readable predetermined number of revolutions of the control motor 13. Since these revolutions effect in the same sense the threaded bushing 47 by means of the gears 12-11, and 41-42, respectively, and the bearings 43 and 44, respectively, by this arrangement the control slide 10, coupled for axial movement by the coupling 15 with the motor of the hydraulic motor 7, is brought into a position, with each portioning step of the portioning drive 14, in which the chamber 39 gets into communication with the channel 40, so that the operation oil of the hydraulic motor 7 can flow off. The hydraulic motor follows thus the control motor. By the already mentioned abutment earns 64, 65 or 66, 67 the portioning drive and the control motor are stopped, the control slide 10 is again set into the shown closing position, so that also the hydraulic motor stands still and the expulsion of a portion on the filling tube 4 is terminated.

The control motor 19 is switched-on and -off, respectively (FIG. 1), by means of a contact in the abutment cams 65 or 66 on the portioning drive 14 for the control of the tum-off movement. At the end of the turnoff movement, the engagement of a cam on an abutment cam in the drive 22, which serves the setting of the turn-off number releases a new portion, in which the control motor 13 is switched into another direction of rotation. By this arrangement, the reversal drive 12, 41 and 44 is obtained, so that during the forward run as well as the backward run of the control motor 13 and of the portioning drive 14, respectively, a portion is delivered.

The normal filling is to be described below:

During this type of operation, skins of sausages of rel- .atively great lengths are filled. In this case, the portioning and turn-off device is set at a selection switch on the tum-off speed zero. The driving connection of the portioning drive 14 to the control motor 13, by example, electro-magnetic, is decoupled. The filling process can now be controlled by means of a knee lever, whereby the feeding pump 2 runs, as long as the knee lever is down. The filling speed corresponds with the number of revolutions of a control motor 13, which likewise can be set by means of a cylinder switch.

During filling of individual portions the machine set ting is the same as in case of continuous filling. Moreover the tum-ofi device 5 is removed. The timely pause between two portions results from the setting of the setoff speed on the control motor 19 and the set-off number.

Referring now to FIG. 4, another embodiment for the formation of the settable abutment for the path limitation in the portioning drive and in the tum-off drive, respectively, is shown. The connecting gear 50 is equipped thereby with a threaded pin 70, on which the abutment nut 71 can be screwed. An abutment body 73 can be screwed on the threaded bolt 72. The latter is axially guided on a guided bolt 74, which is secured in the mounting frame and on which also the abutment nut 71 is axially guided. The threaded bolt 72 is connected with the cardan shaft 75, which is equipped with a hand wheel 76. Furthermore, the cardan shaft 75 drives a counter 63 by means of the gears 77 and 78, the scale of the counter 63 indicating the set portion weight as a function of the position of the abutment body 73.

In the shown portioning drive, which is particularly suitable for a small setting range, the portion weight is determined by the starting distance a" between the abutment nut 71 and the abutment body 73. This distance can be set and fixed by a hand wheel 76, since during rotation of the threaded bolt 72, the abutment body 73 is axially displaced in one or the other direction. During the portioning and tuming-off process, respectively, by the number of revolutions of the threaded pin 70 up to the abutment of the nut 71 on the body 73, the feeding quantity-of the pump 2 and the number of revolutions of the filling tube 4, respectively, is determined. Here also the abutment nut can move in both directions, whereby always a portion is delivered.

In the previous embodiments of the portioning drive, a start has been made such, that the path between the abutments in the portioning drive are variable, while the transmission between the drive and the servo-valve remains constant. Another possibility, according to the present invention, is disclosed in the portioning drive shown in FIG. 5. Here the path remains unchanged in the portioning drive, while the transmission, by example, by mean of an infinitely variable drive 79 between the path limiting abutments 80 and 81 and the connecting wheel 50, which is in mesh with the gear 12 of the control motor 13, is variable. The setting of the transmission of the intermittently variable drive 79 can again take place by hand by the means of the cardan shaft 82, whereby the set transmission size and, thereby, the portion size is readable on the counter 84.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the portioning drive disclosed therein is distinguished from that disclosed in FIG. 5 by the fact, that there the path limit takes place by using an electric switching contact 86. By this arrangement, the reversal drive between the threaded bushing 45 and the gear 12 of the'control motor 13 can be saved. The contact 86 is operated by the cam of the cam wheel 88, whereby the current feed to the control motor 13 is controlled. The contacts 94 are connected with the terminals 97 of the control motor 13 by means of conduits 95 and 96, whereby a power source, by example, a battery 98, is inserted. The intermediate gear 50 drives again the infinitely variable drive 79, the transmission step of which is settable in the present case by a small electric motor 89 and is readable by means of the gears 90 and 91 and the flexible shaft 92 on the counter 93. In the shown operating position, the contacts 94 are bridged over, so that the control motor 13 is in operation and the threaded bushing 45 rotates. By this arrangement, the control slide 10 holds the oil passage open through the hydraulic motor 7, so that the portion is produced. As soon as the cam lifts the bridging of the contacts 94, the control motor 13 is switched-off and the portioning is terminated.

While I have disclosed several embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that these embodime'nts are given by example only and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

l. Hydraulically operating sausage-filling-and turnoff machine, comprising a rotating feeding pump adapted to feed filling material,

a hydraulic motor with settable feeding duration driving intermittently said feeding pump for portioning of said filling material,

a rotation servo-valve controlling said hydraulic motor,

an electric control motor, and

a portioning drive driven by said electric control motor and coupled with said rotation servo-valve, whereby the feeding duration of said feeding pump and the portioning, respectively, is determined by a settable drive value.

2. The machine, as set forth in claim 1, which includes a second hydraulic motor for driving said tuming-off machine, and

a servo-valve having a drive and controlling said sec- 0nd hydraulic motor.

3. The machine, as set forth in claim 1, which includes abutment means, and

said abutment means limiting adjustably and mechanically a predetermined distance for securing the portioning size in said portioning drive.

4. The machine, as set forth in claim 1, which includes an infinitely variable settable transmission drive disposed between said portioning drive and said servovalve.

5. The machine, as set forth in claim 1, which includes eludes electrical switching means for securing of the portioning in said portioning drive and for switching on and off, respectively, said control motor. 

1. Hydraulically operating sausage-filling-and turn-off machine, comprising a rotating feeding pump adapted to feed filling material, a hydraulic motor with settable feeding duration driving intermittently said feeding pump for portioning of said filling material, a rotation servo-valve controlling said hydraulic motor, an electric control motor, and a portioning drive driven by said electric control motor and coupled with said rotation servo-valve, whereby the feeding duration of said feeding pump and the portioning, respectively, is determined by a settable drive value.
 2. The machine, as set forth in claim 1, which includes a second hydraulic motor for driving said turning-off machine, and a servo-valve having a drive and controlling said second hydraulic motor.
 3. The machine, as set forth in claim 1, which includes abutment means, and said abutment means limiting adjustably and mechanically a predetermined distance for securing the portioning size in said portioning drive.
 4. The machine, as set forth in claim 1, which includes an infinitely variable settable transmission drive disposed between said portioning drive and said servo-valve.
 5. The machine, as set forth in claim 1, which includes a reversing drive means disposed between said electric control motor driving said portioning drive and said servo-valve for preventing a return of the portioning drive into a starting position.
 6. The machine, as set forth in claim 1, which includes electrical switching means for securing of the portioning in said portioning drive and for switching on and off, respectively, said control motor. 